By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Steel beams are beginning to define the overall scale of a long-awaited new junior high school in the Forrest City School District.
The project, which is estimated to be at about 20 percent complete, is currently on schedule, and will begin taking more shape this summer as the last of the concrete pads are poured.
Project architect Dave Hodges told board members Monday night that the recent spell of good weather has allowed the contractor to get most of the concrete poured, and he (contractor Gary Kennedy with Kenco Construction) is hoping to have that portion of the project completed this month.
"By the end of this month, his goal is to have all of the concrete poured. He'll be able to fly from there. If he is any behind schedule now, as soon as he gets all of the concrete poured, he should be able to catch up because the metal structure is going up really fast," Hodges said.
The steel beams are being put in place now at the ninth grade building which will face Division Street. "People can get a sense of the scale of the overall project now that they have the steel going up. You can really see the volume of that building," he said, adding that people should also realize that the portion being built now is not going to be the highest part of the building.
"The building will gradually be higher toward the back to where the auditorium will be," Hodges said. "You will also notice the hipped roof. That is really a sign of quality and will make that building look good."
The project is on pace to be completed by the May 2003 deadline. Hodges said the old building plaque and the concrete junior high sign will be incorporated into the trophy case. The new building plaque will be placed elsewhere and revealed at a dedication ceremony just prior to the start of the 2003-2004 school year.
In other business, the board voted to increase the points allowed for a C grade on the gifted and talented and the advanced placement grading scales.
The board reviewed a proposal from school administrators and counselors who recommended that a C be worth two points and a D would be worth one point on the grading scale for GT, AP and basic courses. However, on the GT scale, an A would be worth six points and a B would be worth five points. On the AP scale, an A would be worth five points and a B would be worth four points.
Students completing only basic course work would be graded on the 4.0 scale.
"Our rationale for the weighted scale, is because when you're trying to get students to take advanced and gifted and talented classes, they are hard to sell if the student knows he or she would get the same as a person in a regular class gets," Dr. Wayne Jones, board president, said. It is designed to reward students who have to work harder in GT and AP courses, according to Jones.
Board member Sandra Taylor objected, saying she thinks the system would be penalizing those students not capable of taking GT and AP courses.
Jones agreed somewhat, but added, "That's just part of life."
"If a person is in AP and pulls a C out of it, he or she should not be penalized," board member Rev. Ronald Williams said.
The board agreed to change the value of a C on both scales to a three-point value.
The board also recognized Sarah Eldridge with a plaque honoring her for finishing second at the Arkansas Women's Golf Association's High School Overall Championship.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Applications are currently being taken for a program which can provide free meals for all students in the Forrest City School District.
The applications are being accepted at the Child Nutrition Office, beginning July 1 at 8 a.m.
According to Evelyn Rayford-Brown, child nutrition director for the school district, the district can benefit from this program.
"This is a program for every child in the district," Rayford-Brown said. "It is not a free and reduced program; however, it does help the school district. A lot of the programs that the district has are based on the free and reduced number of free and reduced students."
She said there are already a large number of students getting free and reduced price meals.
"We have such a large percent of free and reduced students," she said. "About 86 percent of our students are free and reduced. Therefore it would profit the district, under this program, to feed all our kids free, if we can get everyone to sign up."
She said if enough students get signed up, the school district can get into the program for five years.
"Then we'll go through the process again. But it's a five-year program, we won't have to be going through this all the time, year to year."
She said the program includes breakfast and lunch, and is for all students, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the Palestine-Wheatley School Board filled three vacant principal positions at all three of the district's schools last night and added several new employees to the district's roll during the monthly meeting of the board Monday.
Board members agreed unanimously to accept the recommendations of Superintendent Jimmy Allen in the hiring of Zenna Smith, who will serve as elementary principal; Ginny Huckaba, high school principal and Dionne Bratton, junior high school principal.
The board also agreed to hire two elementary school teachers and three high school teachers. In other personnel matters, board members accepted the resignation of Angela Scott Sayger and Phylisten Stanley.
Before adjourning, board members unanimously approved a budget of almost $650,000 for the 2003/2004 school year. According to Allen, the passing of the budget is an annual move which is mandated by the state.
The Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute in Forrest City will hold its annual graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 20.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Forrest City Civic Center.
All board members are scheduled to participate in the ceremony.